Tropical Escapades

[trip style = all-inclusive + beach + foodie + adventure]

This time last year I sampled several Air Transat, itineraries in Puerto Vallarta, a destination I'm drawn to for its swaths of sand, cobblestone streets and authentic Mexican flavors {like the guacamole I handmade at a cooking class in the photo above}. The trip was not my first Transat voyage with the Canada-based and operated airline; in the past I've traveled under their wing via packages and direct flights to Europe and the Caribbean.

Given my Transat experience and travel expertise, they've asked me to be a Canadian spokesperson for the all-important winter season {read: jetting to the South!}. While this opportunity does not afford me weekly jaunts to Jamaica to savor jerk chicken or float down the Rio Grande river in a bamboo raft, it does mean I will lend my know-how as a traveler who is particularly passionate about experiencing a destination through a number of vacation lenses, which I term trip styles {all-inclusive, adventure, sightseeing, foodie, etc.}.

Starting in mid fall, Canada's leading holiday travel airline begins a wave of direct flights from Vancouver and other Canadian departure points to beachy locales like Mexico and Jamaica, in addition to their staple European outposts like London. While Europe calls my name d-a-i-l-y, and I would like to do all my Christmas shopping at Harrods {as well as get a peek at petite Prince George}, the vacation collections I'm most drawn to are trip styled with beach lovers and culture vultures in mind.

Enter Transat Holidays' DUO and Escapade vacations. In the DUO scenario, a two-in-one vacay combines opposite corners of a country. For example, sample Veradero's oh-so-sultry sand and Havana's historic rhythm in one vacation. Escapades are for those who want to infuse some added flavor into their all-inclusive getaway. For two days and one night you leave the resort---without even checking out!---and dive into the destination's sense of place. For example, in Jamaica spend 80% of your trip lounging under a palm and 20% taking a cooking class, dipping into a waterfall and sojourning at an eco-spa. Culture and coastal life, accomplished.

If you're involved in the travel biz and want to learn more about Transat trips to the South, join me at an upcoming event I'm co-organizing with a group of travel professionals and Air Transat in Vancouver on November, 20th, 2013. Details here.

[photos by @tripstyler brought to you in collab with transat holidays]

When A Weekend Away Goes AWOL

[trip style = any]

Last weekend I got stranded roadside with Mr. Trip Styler, Ms. Fashion Friday, and Mr. Nacho King {my pup}. In the process, we were picked up {and pulled} by a tractor, and rescued by way of an animal shelter and a do-gooder named Randy.

For the first time in nine years, our SUV shut itself down {while driving!} due to an electrical issue in the engine. To make matters worse, it was a Sunday so n-o-t-h-i-n-g was open, and we were in another country {the USA, aka, using our Canadian cell phones was uber-expensive}.

Sometimes weekends away {and all travel} go belly up. You come home stressed rather than relaxed. You're down and out due to something in your travel plans going awry---a feeling exaggerated by being away from home and out of your comfort zone. But here's the good part: it also forces you to reach deeper into your soul, use your intuition, trust strangers and rely on the help of good Samaritans. Strangely, the situation refreshed me.

While talking travel troubles isn't TS's normal flight path, our situation is a good reminder to keep cool, even in the face of travel challenges. In the moment it feels insurmountable; in retrospect there's always a silver lining, or some life lesson or truth we can glean!

What Happened {Coles Notes Version} Our car stopped in its tracks across the street---a busy street---from the Camano Animal Shelter. In order to get our vehicle to the other side of the highway, it was towed by a tractor that 'happened' to drive by just when we needed it. On the other side, we asked an electrician for a jump, and he said no. {Strange in that he had a Bible verse plastered over his work vehicle (FAIL).} The animal shelter, 100 meters away, empathized with our situation and allowed us to use their wifi and computers to research what to do. While searching for a solution, the lovely worker referred us to her next door neighbor who drove down to the shelter to assess our vehicle.

Long story short, this dynamic duo helped us troubleshoot, drove us back to our weekend abode for the night, gave us extra dog food {because OF COURSE we'd run out} and picked Mr. Trip Styler up the next morning to go and search for a car part. All this because they were nice people. When Mr. TS asked the good Samaritan for his rate, he said he it was nada---he tries to do one good thing a day. In that moment---exhausted from sitting roadside and hatching fix-it plans---I burst out crying. Somehow, we'd met the nicest person on the island!

The next day, the car part came in, worked like a charm and the good Samaritan gave us MORE of himself, aka, a piece of his handmade art. For the record, I will NEVER get rid of his orange-hued artifact, a metal crab made out of two horseshoes. This crab has quickly become one of my most prized travel possessions. In the end, we paid him anyway. He only accepted the money "for his art."

Travel always surprises. Sometimes in the form of delight, sometimes in the form of relaxation; this time in the form of grace.

Dear Randy: I'm not sure if you'll ever read this, but you saved us when we were down and out. It's people like you who make this world a better place. Thank you.

View-Finding

[trip style = any]

Remember View-Master toys? {Those little, plastic, click-through portals featuring a cardboard disk with built-in photo negatives.} Fast forward to 2013; there's a new breed of viewfinder in a colorful portal of international proportions. Specifically, Expedia has just launched a blog called the Expedia Viewfinder, and I'm BEYOND excited to be one of 10 regular writers!

All of the bloggers type travel tales and tips from a different point of view, highlighting popular travel destinations---think LA, Bangkok, Toronto, Vegas, Barcelona, etc. Some of the perspectives shared are those of dads, moms, solo wanderers, LGBT, adventurers, philosophers, couples, road trippers and moi! Our MO is simple: research, travel, test and tell.

I'm pumped to continue trip styling on TS along with my trusty flight crew {Heather, Lauren, Nicole, Leah and Keryn}. You can also find my stories through my viewfinder author page.

Why Expedia I get pitches to work with companies semi-regularly, but I only work with the brands I trust. I started partnering with Expedia last year, co-moderating their regular Twitter Travel Chats, and working on a few curated projects. The one I was most impacted by is a video which they shot of me in Mexico returning to the place that changed the course of my life. They didn't alter my story for their purposes, nor glorify it to look better. The blog is in the same vein.

[photos via expedia viewfinder blog]

Five Things You Didn't Know About TS

This week last year I was in Thailand lounging at this luxe-for-less villa {pictured above, take me back tout suite, K}. Instead of reading IN my plunge pool overlooking the beach---NOT a sentence I utter often---I had a Jerry Maguire "memo moment." Oh goodness. Rather than following Jerry's lead in a late-night photocopy-a-thon, one year later, I thought it was time to share a small part of it.

1/ Whether you know this or not, Trip Styler has an editorial policy. We always have. We always will.

2/ There are hundreds of hotels, destinations and travel things we DON'T write about on Trip Styler. Places or products we've tried on for size and cannot recommend because they aren't the right fit---cue bad design, odd vibe, lack of value for dollar, etc...

3/ If we’re offered trips---which happens from time to time---we only take the ones we’d pay for anyway. And when we write about a trip that’s been offered, it’s a-l-w-a-y-s noted. And don't think it's all presidential suites and flutes of Veuve, sometimes we're stuck in a small room over the kitchen vent; I count this a good thing {sometimes} unless there's a pungent onion scent permeating my room. Same goes for any travel product we're offered {like these suitcases which were on my list to buy anyway---bonus}.

4/ For every press trip we take---cut to a gaggle of travel journos taking notes 24/7 and snapping photos of everything from croissants to cultural finds---we travel as much personally on our own dime. Keeps things kosher. And when press trips come about we'd do anyway, we carefully consider them knowing it helps us to continue doing what we’re doing. For example, this month I turned down three trips. They weren't the right fit.

5/ At Trip Styler HQ, we talk our walk, and while we don't really believe in negativity---we're glass half-full kinda people---if we don't like something, it'll be presented as a "what to know", or not talked about at all. For example, on my recent trip to Hawaii I stayed at five hotels in 10 nights. I profiled one hotel in our Roam+Board standout hotel feature. As for the rest of the properties, if I came across something stellar like solar panels or midcentury style, I chronicled the cool on Instagram and my Editor's Diary. I reserve the most curated finds for Trip Styler.

Yes, we endorse exploring a mixed bag of trip styles, but we’re not pluralists who like everything. In fact, we're pretty picky.

{photo by @tripstyler taken at the x2 Kui Buri. And since we're on the topic, I researched until I was nearly blue in the face to scout this gem of a property on my personal trip in Thailand.}

Mid-Winter Break

[trip style = weekend getaway]

For the first year ever, my province {British Columbia} is observing Family Day; basically, a day off mid-winter, or our version of Presidents' Day.  YAY. After playing hopscotch across the globe jumping West to East and back again {aka Vancouver ---> SF ---> London ---> SF ---> Vancouver ---> Tofino ---> Vancouver ---> Quebec ---> Vancouver} over the past few weeks, I figured Trip Styler would take a break today too. See you on Wednesday.

In the spirit of the winter break, here's a photo {above} my friend Debbie took of me going down the Hotel De Glace's slick and quick ice luge.

Insider Tip :: If you go down the winding slide on your feet versus your behind, you go much faster.

Happy day off, and to our friends in the rest of Canada and the USA, your day off is coming soon. Ole!